African Lion 2026: US Soldier Jumped In to Save Fellow Trooper, Both Now Missing

Marrakech – A US soldier jumped into the Atlantic Ocean to save a fellow service member who had fallen from a cliff, only for both to be swept away by waves. The two American soldiers remain missing off Morocco’s southern coast as search and rescue operations enter their third day.

CBS News, whose crew is embedded with the US military at the exercise, cited defense officials and a preliminary report after multiple sources told the network Monday that a group of service members was on a hike near ocean cliffs at the Cap Draa Training Area to watch the sunset when one soldier fell into the water.

Nearby troops tried to pull him out by forming a human chain with their belts, but strong waves made the effort impossible.

A second soldier then jumped in to rescue the first, who was known not to be able to swim. The would-be rescuer was immediately hit by a wave. A third soldier also entered the water but could not reach the two. He managed to return to shore on his own. Both soldiers remain unaccounted for.

The US military has deployed multiple aircraft, drones, divers, and vessels along the coastline. A Boeing P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was dispatched from Sigonella Naval Air Station in Italy and was expected to arrive at Tan-Tan, Morocco, on Tuesday afternoon local time.

Morocco’s military has sent scuba divers to search inside underwater caves characteristic of that stretch of the North African coast. The incident is not believed to be connected to the training exercise itself.

African Lion 2026 was launched on April 20 and runs through May 8. Operations span Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia, with Morocco hosting the largest share of activities.

In the kingdom, this year’s edition brings together approximately 5,000 service members from more than 40 nations, alongside over 30 American defense industry partners.

Led by the US Army’s Southern European Task Force-Africa (SETAF-AF), the exercise covers live-fire drills, air and maritime training, special operations, and humanitarian missions. It aims to strengthen collective security, test rapid deployment capabilities, and improve coordination across multiple domains.

This year’s program also integrates advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, counter-drone tools, and surveillance platforms.

The exercise traces back to the 1990s as a biennial drill between US and Moroccan forces under the US European Command. It later became annual under the Marine Corps and expanded significantly after the creation of AFRICOM in 2008. Last year’s edition drew roughly 10,000 troops from over 50 countries.

African Lion has seen only a handful of disruptions over its history. In 2012, an MV-22 Osprey crashed near Cap Draa during a routine flight, killing two Marines and injuring two others.

In 2013, Morocco requested the exercise’s cancellation over a diplomatic dispute tied to a US-drafted UN resolution on Western Sahara. The drills resumed in a reduced format after Washington revised the resolution. The drill resumed in reduced format after the US revised the text. The 2020 edition was scrapped entirely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The search for the two missing soldiers continues as African Lion 2026 proceeds on schedule.